Hey there, Secular Fam. As I type this, I’m watching the funeral service for President Carter. 

I’m also monitoring the apocalyptic hellscape that is currently Southern California. 

Someone on Bluesky posted that this funeral for President Carter feels like a funeral for America, and goTDAMN, if that doesn’t feel accurate. 

This morning I was listening to KJZZ, and the commentators remarked about his honesty, faith, service, and strong moral character. They shared that during the lead up to the 2024 election, they interviewed countless voters who acknowledged that their choice for president, Trump, almost only lies. 

The commentators mentioned how the voters they spoke with viewed that as a sign of strength and political savvy. 

Lying as a strength? 

There must be something wrong with me, because I just see that as dangerous. 

Meanwhile, President Carter famously promised that he would never lie to the American people.

The reporters mentioned Carter’s commitment to the environment. Both a Christian and a scientist, he enthusiastically embraced clean energy, and had solar panels installed at the White House. He even recognized that many folks would view this nonpartisan decision in a partisan light, saying, “[a] generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people.”

About a year later, His successor, Ronald Reagan, chose the road not taken, and had them removed. 

The reporters then brought up his decision to leave the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), after more than six decades because of their subjugation of women. 

You can read his essay about that decision here. 

The man built houses for working class people and taught Sunday School at his church well into his old age, and from what I can tell, a good portion of Americans think of him as a “sucker” and a “loser.”

President Carter prioritized the environment, education, and equal rights. 45/47 promises to do away with government agencies and to designate women as second class citizens. 

President Carter could teach all these “children of Christ” a thing or two about being Christian, that’s for sure. 

I’m a big fan of many of the teachings of Christ, and I just wish more of his followers were. 

President Carter led with his deep Christian faith, but never imposed that faith on others. He understood the importance of the Establishment Clause, and didn’t use his Christian faith like a hammer, but like a flashlight - a way to learn more about the world around him. 

Last weekend, we had our annual Secular Summit. This year, we partnered with Shadow Rock UCC, and held our Summit at their beautiful sanctuary.

Like most of Secular AZ’s members, I avoid places of worship like the plague. But the thing is, if we hope to defeat Christofascism, we simply must learn to get outside of our comfort zones, and form unlikely alliances with our faithful brothers and sisters who also believe in the separation of religion and government. 

Many of these progressive churches provide for the most vulnerable members of our society. During 2018, when immigrants and refugees were seeking shelter as they fled their hostile home countries, Shadow Rock (and many other progressive churches) helped them reach their host families. They gave them clothing, a warm meal, shelter, and compassion. 

At a church just a few miles down the road, where congregants embrace the “Prosperity Gospel,” the attitude is quite different. 

It’s a confusing time when Christian churches that actually embrace the teachings of Christ are dying, while megachurches and their pastors flourish while rejecting his teachings. 

Now that the Broligarchy is in full effect, you are going to see and hear a lot of really confusing things. Most media and social media outlets are owned by billionaires, so misinformation abounds. Just take a look at the latest move by billionaire Meta creator, Mark Zuckerburg. He announced that Meta has now removed fact-checking from all its platforms, and people can now refer to the LGBTQ+ community as “mentally ill.” 

Much like his oligarch buddy, Elmo Mush (or whatever his name is), they’ll be switching to “community notes” to help suss out the nefarious dipshits who post endless streams of conspiracy theories and misinformation. 

Already a friend of mine posted a comment on Facebook, critiquing the greed of banks, and his comment was flagged for misinformation. Frankly, since this decision, our communications team is revisiting the idea of getting off of Facebook and Instagram. We made the decision to leave Xitter last year. 

You may have noticed that we are very active on Bluesky, and we will continue to post notes, essays, and articles here on Substack. 

In fact, this week, school board meetings all throughout the state have resumed, so I expect to take to my keyboard a lot in 2025. Additionally, Opening Day at the Capitol happens on Monday, January 13th, 2025. Already, Senator John Kavanagh (R-LD3) is laser-focused on children’s genitals (again), so we already know that this will likely be yet another deeply unserious legislative session from the majority party.

Remember that Secular AZ can help you engage with your legislature. If you haven’t already signed up for the Request to Speak (RTS) system, we can help you with that. We will also keep you informed about secular news happening throughout the state, so be sure to subscribe to this Substack. We made the decision to keep it free, but I invite you to consider upgrading to a paid subscription today. 

Also, we welcome guest writers. If you enjoy writing and want to share the important things happening in your own backyard, let us know. 

Obviously, we exist because of our generous donors. Please consider becoming a monthly supporter of Secular AZ today. 

Until next time, Secular Fam.